The Commonwealth Fund, a private foundation that supports independent research on healthcare issues, has published its findings from case studies of three early adopters of telehealth and telemonitoring programs.
The three organizations studied in this series are the Veterans Health Administration in Washington D.C., Partners HealthCare in Boston and Centura Health at Home in Denver.
Lessons from early adopters of telehealth programs, based on the findings from the case studies, are:
1. Telehealth-enabled programs disrupt the status quo. Telehealth requires an open mind-set that can adapt to changes in technology to achieve desired changes in practice and targeted outcomes.
2. Program development involves a multidisciplinary, team-based approach. Telehealth requires the integration of technical, clinical and business processes into a standard program.
3. Technology implementation is a social process. Establishing leadership support, identifying program champions and patient engagement are essential for successful program outcomes.
4. Barriers to patient participation need to be low. Patient participation should be at no or little financial cost, and enrollment should be automatic for all eligible patients to maximize patient participation.
5. Telehealth data can empower all stakeholders. Telehealth data allows caregivers to provide patients with just-in-time care and education. This could help motivate patients to make necessary life changes.
6. Program evaluations need to incorporate nonstandard measures. These nonstandard measures, such as patient experience and staff satisfaction, contribute to improved clinical and financial outcomes.
7. Successful programs can take time to scale successfully. Integrating technology into care delivery takes time. Structure, coordination, planning and setting goals are key to the growth of telehealth programs.
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The three organizations studied in this series are the Veterans Health Administration in Washington D.C., Partners HealthCare in Boston and Centura Health at Home in Denver.
Lessons from early adopters of telehealth programs, based on the findings from the case studies, are:
1. Telehealth-enabled programs disrupt the status quo. Telehealth requires an open mind-set that can adapt to changes in technology to achieve desired changes in practice and targeted outcomes.
2. Program development involves a multidisciplinary, team-based approach. Telehealth requires the integration of technical, clinical and business processes into a standard program.
3. Technology implementation is a social process. Establishing leadership support, identifying program champions and patient engagement are essential for successful program outcomes.
4. Barriers to patient participation need to be low. Patient participation should be at no or little financial cost, and enrollment should be automatic for all eligible patients to maximize patient participation.
5. Telehealth data can empower all stakeholders. Telehealth data allows caregivers to provide patients with just-in-time care and education. This could help motivate patients to make necessary life changes.
6. Program evaluations need to incorporate nonstandard measures. These nonstandard measures, such as patient experience and staff satisfaction, contribute to improved clinical and financial outcomes.
7. Successful programs can take time to scale successfully. Integrating technology into care delivery takes time. Structure, coordination, planning and setting goals are key to the growth of telehealth programs.
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Case Study: Iowa Health System's Pursuit of Interoperability & Telehealth